The Star-LedgerGov. Chris Christie, left, and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex). Oliver today said that the Assembly is not likely to vote on the pension reform bills before Gov. Christie's budget address.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie’s push to have public worker pension and health benefit reform bills passed before he makes his budget address on March 16 has hit a roadblock in the Assembly.

The bipartisan bills quickly passed the state Senate, but Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) today said they are not likely to clear the lower house before Christie presents his budget. She said the Assembly is committed to the changes but needs more time to weigh their sweeping impact and "clean up any inconsistencies" in the existing bills.

"There is no subterfuge going on. There is no obstructionist behavior," Oliver said in an interview with The Star-Ledger. "The Assembly is not attempting to slow the process down, but the Assembly certainly wants to be well-informed."

A committee hearing on the reforms will likely come next week, Oliver said, followed by a voting session before lawmakers recess to focus on the budget. But that would come too late for Christie to count on the changes in his proposal to deal with an $11 billion deficit.

The Republican governor — who wiped out the current year’s contribution to the struggling pension fund because he said it needed major changes — said the size of next year’s contribution may be affected by the bills’ progress in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

"I’m concerned about the fact that they haven’t made the changes that need to be made," Christie said before Oliver made her comments. His office had no comment tonight.

The state owes more than $3 billion — over 10 percent of the entire budget — in pension contributions for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Public worker unions fault the state for damaging the system by failing to pay the required amounts.

This budget year, the state’s required pension payment was $2.5 billion, but Christie nixed the remaining $100 million scheduled contribution because the system "is desperately in need of reform," he told lawmakers last month. "Until that reform is enacted, we cannot in good conscience fund a system that is out of control ..."

He declined to answer directly yesterday when asked whether the same principle will apply in the coming budget cycle: "We’ll see how the Legislature does on reforms."

One of the bills is projected to save local governments and school boards $314 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Another would save the state $16.8 million a year later. Because the changes mostly apply to future workers, actuaries say they will take years to make a big difference in the stability of the pension system, which is underfunded by nearly $46 billion.

During a meeting of his Council of Economic Advisors at Princeton University yesterday. Christie said may seek cuts in Medicaid benefits to make New Jersey more "mainstream" compared with other states but didn’t go into detail.

Lowell Arye, an advocate for the disabled, said many perceive New Jersey’s Medicaid coverage to be too generous. But that’s before they understand what Medicaid considers an optional benefit: wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, prescription drugs, and dental care. "New Jersey has a very comprehensive benefit and provides services that are not optional to the most vulnerable. We need to ensure that the most vulnerable population receives quality health care,’’ Arye said.

Lisa Fleisher contributed to this report.

Christie says he will sign strong pension reform bills and discusses school aid

Christie says he will sign strong pension reform bills and discusses school aid New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addressed the legislature about the state's budget crisis. Christie said that he will sign major pension and benefit reform bills, but until that happens there are other areas that will need to be addressed. Christie said that school districts will have the money they need to operate, but there will be reductions in school aid. (Video courtesy of NJN)

Christie says he will sign strong pension reform bills and discusses school aid

Christie says he will sign strong pension reform bills and discusses school aid New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addressed the legislature about the state's budget crisis. Christie said that he will sign major pension and benefit reform bills, but until that happens there are other areas that will need to be addressed. Christie said that school districts will have the money they need to operate, but there will be reductions in school aid. (Video courtesy of NJN)